Classifications

• • G—PHYSICS
  • G02—OPTICS
  • G02B—OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS
  • G02B6/00—Light guides; Structural details of arrangements comprising light guides and other optical elements, e.g. couplings
  • G02B6/24—Coupling light guides
  • G02B6/36—Mechanical coupling means
  • G02B6/38—Mechanical coupling means having fibre to fibre mating means
  • G02B6/3807—Dismountable connectors, i.e. comprising plugs
  • G02B6/381—Dismountable connectors, i.e. comprising plugs of the ferrule type, e.g. fibre ends embedded in ferrules, connecting a pair of fibres
  • G02B6/3826—Dismountable connectors, i.e. comprising plugs of the ferrule type, e.g. fibre ends embedded in ferrules, connecting a pair of fibres characterised by form or shape
  • G02B6/3829—Bent or angled connectors
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G02—OPTICS
  • G02B—OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS
  • G02B6/00—Light guides; Structural details of arrangements comprising light guides and other optical elements, e.g. couplings
  • G02B6/24—Coupling light guides
  • G02B6/36—Mechanical coupling means
  • G02B6/38—Mechanical coupling means having fibre to fibre mating means
  • G02B6/3807—Dismountable connectors, i.e. comprising plugs
  • G02B6/3833—Details of mounting fibres in ferrules; Assembly methods; Manufacture
  • G02B6/3853—Lens inside the ferrule
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G02—OPTICS
  • G02B—OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS
  • G02B6/00—Light guides; Structural details of arrangements comprising light guides and other optical elements, e.g. couplings
  • G02B6/24—Coupling light guides
  • G02B6/26—Optical coupling means
  • G02B6/32—Optical coupling means having lens focusing means positioned between opposed fibre ends
  • G02B6/327—Optical coupling means having lens focusing means positioned between opposed fibre ends with angled interfaces to reduce reflections
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G02—OPTICS
  • G02B—OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS
  • G02B6/00—Light guides; Structural details of arrangements comprising light guides and other optical elements, e.g. couplings
  • G02B6/24—Coupling light guides
  • G02B6/36—Mechanical coupling means
  • G02B6/38—Mechanical coupling means having fibre to fibre mating means
  • G02B6/3807—Dismountable connectors, i.e. comprising plugs
  • G02B6/3873—Connectors using guide surfaces for aligning ferrule ends, e.g. tubes, sleeves, V-grooves, rods, pins, balls
  • G02B6/3885—Multicore or multichannel optical connectors, i.e. one single ferrule containing more than one fibre, e.g. ribbon type

Definitions

• ferrules Many types of single and multi-fiber fiber optic ferrules have integrated lenses and are available in the fiber optic connector industry today. These ferrules are made, at least partially, from an optically clear material.
• One such lensed ferrule is the PRIZM ® MT ® ferrule (or, PMT ferrule) provided by the Applicant.
• the PMT ferrule has lenses on its end- face. The lenses are positioned generally along the same plane that is orthogonal to the optical beam propagating therethrough. Molding the integral lenses and the ferrule requires two or more moving parts of the mold.
• the present invention is directed to a fiber optic ferrule for receiving a plurality of optical fibers in optical fiber support structures that includes a main body extending between a front end and rear end, the main body having a top surface and a bottom surface, the top surface and the bottom surface having different lengths between the front end and the rear end, a longitudinal axis extending between the front end and the rear end and parallel to the optical fiber support structures, a front face at the front end of the main body, the front face being non-perpendicular to the longitudinal axis, a recessed portion at the front face, a plurality of optical lenses within the recessed portion, wherein the front face has a plurality of points that lie on a plurality of vertical axes extending between the bottom surface and top surface, wherein each of the plurality of points are even with or rearward of the each of the plurality points thereabove.
• the plurality of optical lenses are in at least one row extending between side surfaces of the fiber optic ferrule
• the length of the bottom surface is shorter than the length of the top surface.
• the fiber optic ferrule is ejected in a direction parallel to the vertical axes after a molding process.
• each of the plurality of points are even with or forward of the each of the plurality points therebelow.
• a fiber optic ferrule for receiving a plurality of optical fibers in optical fiber support structures that includes a a main body extending between a front end and rear end, the main body having a top surface and a bottom surface, the top surface and the bottom surface having different lengths between the front end and the rear end, a longitudinal axis extending between the front end and the rear end and parallel to the optical fiber support structures, a front face at the front end of the main body, the front face being non-perpendicular to the longitudinal axis, a recessed portion at the front face, a plurality of optical lenses within the recessed portion, wherein the front face has a plurality of points that lie on a plurality of vertical axes extending between the bottom surface and top surface, wherein each of the plurality of points are even with or forward of the each of the plurality points therebelow.
• a fiber optic ferrule for receiving a plurality of optical fibers in optical fiber support structures that includes a main body extending between a front end and rear end, the main body having a top surface and a bottom surface, the top surface being longer than the bottom surface, a longitudinal axis extending between the front end and the rear end and parallel to the optical fiber support structures, a front face at the front end of the main body, the front face being non perpendicular to the longitudinal axis, a recessed portion at the front face, a plurality of optical lenses within the recessed portion, wherein the fiber optic ferrule is moved in a direction orthogonal to the top surface post molding.
• FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of a fiber optic ferrule according to the present invention.
• FIG. 2 is front view of the fiber optic ferrule in Fig. 1;
• Fig. 3 is a left side elevation view of the fiber optic ferrule in Fig. 1;
• Fig. 4 is a left side elevation view of a cross-section of the fiber optic ferrule in Fig. 1;
• FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a portion of the front face of the fiber optic ferrule in Fig. 1;
• FIG. 6 is a schematic of a portion of the front of the fiber optic ferrule in Fig. 1 showing the points along a vertical axis;
• Fig. 7 is a schematic of a portion of the fiber optic ferrule in Fig. 1 illustrating the relationships of the components of the fiber optic ferrule.
• front or forward means that direction where the fiber optic connector and/or the ferrule would meet with another fiber optic connector or device
• rear or “rearward” is used to mean the direction from which the optical fibers enter into the fiber-optic ferrule or fiber optic connector.
• Each of the fiber optic ferrules will therefore have a front and rear, and the two fronts or forward portions of the fiber optic ferrules would engage one another.
• front of the fiber optic ferrule is on the left side of FIG. 1 and “forward” is to the left and out of the page.
• Rearward” or “back” is that part of the fiber optic connector that is on the right side of the page and “rearward” and “backward” is toward the right and into the page.
• FIG. 1-7 One embodiment of a fiber optic ferrule 100 according to the present invention is illustrated in Figs. 1-7.
• the fiber optic ferrule 100 has a main body 102 extending between a front end 104 and a rear end 106, the main body 102 has a forward portion 108 and a rearward portion 110.
• the forward portion 108 is separated from the larger rearward portion 110 by a shoulder 112.
• the fiber optic ferrule 100 may not have the larger rearward portion 110, but whole main body 102 would have the same height and width as the forward portion 108.
• the fiber optic ferrule 100 has a top 114, a bottom 116, and two sides 118, 120.
• the forward portion 108 has a top surface 130 and a bottom surface 132, the top surface 130 and the bottom surface 132 having lengths LI, L2, respectively.
• the lengths LI, L2 may be the different or, in another embodiment, they may be same. As illustrated in Figs. 1 and 3, the lengths LI, L2 are measured between the front end 104 and the shoulder 112. If the fiber optic ferrule 100 were of a uniform height and width as noted above, then the lengths could be measured from the front end 104 to the rear end 106.
• the two sides 118, 120 each have a side surface 134, 136, respectively (see FIG. 2).
• the rearward portion 110 also has a top surface 130a, a bottom surface 132a, and side surfaces 134a, 136a, respectively. While the top surface 130 is illustrated as being the longer surface, it is also possible for the bottom surface 132 to be longer, so long as the main body has the appropriate configurations as described herein - thus it may only be a semantic change from “top” to “bottom.”
• front face 140 positioned at the front end 104.
• the front face 140 has a recessed portion 142.
• alignment structures 144 which in one form takes the shape of guide pin holes.
• the alignment structures 144 may or may not open at the front face 140 within the recessed portion 142.
• the recessed portion 142 may be completely encircled by the front face 140, or the recessed portion 142 may extend to the top 114 or the bottom 116 or one of the sides 118, 120.
• the main body 102 has an opening 150 that extends from the rear end 106 towards the front end 104 to receive optical fibers within the fiber optic ferrule 100.
• the main body 102 has optical fiber support structures 152 within the opening 150.
• the optical fiber support structures 152 could be micro-holes, v-shaped grooves or other configurations that support and align the optical fibers.
• the fiber optic ferrule 100 has a longitudinal axis A that is parallel to the optical fiber support structures 152 and the optical fibers that are inserted into the fiber optic ferrule. See Figs. 3 and 4.
• the effect of the differing lengths LI, L2 is that the front face 104 makes an angle a other than 90° with the longitudinal axis A.
• the angle a is about 84° but could be larger or smaller depending on a number of factors, for example, return loss, fiber mode, etc.
• the fiber optic ferrule 100 is usually mated with another ferrule that has the same configuration but is flipped 180° about the longitudinal axis so that the two front faces 104 are parallel to one another.
• the recessed portion 142 has a number of different areas that stretch across at least a portion of the front face 140.
• each integral lens, or a portion thereof that is exposed is at a tilt angle Q to the vertical/ Y-axis.
• the term “integral” as aaplied to the integral lenses 164 refers to the lenses being molded together with the main body 102, and not being positioned separately onto the front face 140 or the recessed portion 142 thereof.
• the top lens is shown at the tilt angle Q relative to the top lens tangent line.
• the bottom lens is at the same tilt angle relative to the bottom lens tangent line.
• Q is approximately 22°.
• FIG. 2 there are a plurality of vertical lines or axes B that can be used with reference to the front face 140. Each of these vertical axis B are perpendicular to the longitudinal axis A. Only four vertical lines or axes B are illustrated in Fig. 2. Indeed, there are theoretically an infinite number of vertical lines or axes B that could be placed on the front face 140 of the fiber optic ferrule 100.
• the front face 140 including the recessed portion 142, is made up of plurality of points 172 (indeed, also theoretically an infinite number of points).
• FIG. 6 and 7 are representations from the left side of the fiber optic ferrule 100 of some of the points 172 on the front face of the fiber optic ferrule along one of the vertical axes B. This view allows for the description of the points 172 relative to the other points along one of the vertical axes B that is not possible to see in a front view image, i.e., Fig. 2.
• the top 114 of the fiber optic ferrule 100 would be at the top of the page (or even beyond) as only a portion of the front face 140 is illustrated in Figs. 6 and 7. It is the same consideration for the bottom 116, which is below where the figures are labeled.
• the solid dark line on the very left of the images is the front face 140, that makes the angle a with the top 114 and bottom 116.
• the front face 140 at the top of the fiber optic ferrule 100 is the forward-most (the leftmost point in Figs. 3 and 4) point on the fiber optic ferrule 100 along the vertical axis B.
• the next solid line demonstrate the points 172 that make up the recessed portion 142 and includes the areas 160,162 with a plurality of integral lenses 164 and the spacing areas 166, 168 and 170 (and the front face 140 if the figure showed such).
• the point directly above it is either even with or in front of (to the left in Figs. 6 and 7) that point.
• a point PI (a reference point) is illustrated in Fig. 6 as well as a second point P2. It is clear from Fig. 6, that P2 is either directly above or in front of (to the left) of PI.
• P2 is not behind or to the right of PI, eliminating any undercut on the front face 140 of the fiber optic ferrule 100.
• PI a point below P2
• P2 the first (reference) point
• PI a point below P2
• the integral lenses 164 in area 160 are further to the left than the integral lenses 164 in the lower area 162. Again, this contributes to the elimination of the undercut in a typical fiber optic ferrule where, if the lenses are aligned on a vertical axis, there would be areas of undercut.
• the integral lenses 164 may be portions of a sphere, although other non-spherical refractive surfaces that are at a similar tilt as the integral lenses 164 could be used in another embodiment.

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• 2020
  • 2020-11-04 CN CN202080075869.6A patent/CN114616499A/zh active Pending
  • 2020-11-04 EP EP20817545.5A patent/EP4055428A1/de active Pending
  • 2020-11-04 US US17/768,414 patent/US11768335B2/en active Active
  • 2020-11-04 WO PCT/US2020/058794 patent/WO2021091949A1/en unknown
• 2023
  • 2023-09-04 US US18/460,651 patent/US20240019641A1/en active Pending

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